


Knee Socks

by Im__A__Brooklyn__Baby



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Awkwardness, Crush at First Sight, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Starbucks, T'Challa is still a Prince
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 13:12:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6567733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Im__A__Brooklyn__Baby/pseuds/Im__A__Brooklyn__Baby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky Barnes is just a normal student at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts who happens to work his brief shift at Starbucks every other day. It's not so eventful for him until someone walks through that door that changes his life completely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Knee Socks

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, honey bunnies! Yes, I am writing an AU. I've had this idea in my head for a while and finally I have started it. Hopefully, I update this routinely. I don't wanna leave yall hanging. First, though, I have 3 things to address.
> 
> 1\. In this fanfic, T'Challa goes to Cornell University instead of the canonical Oxford University. This makes it easier for the AU. However, T'challa is still the prince of Wakanda and the reason he's in New York is for college.
> 
> 2\. This fic's name is from the song Knee Socks by Artic Monkeys. Great band, check them out.
> 
> 3\. I'll be busy for a week so I most likely won't be updating then.
> 
> Enjoy!

Bucky absolutely couldn’t stand his job. It wasn’t exactly the customers or the employees or the noisy chatter that sent him into sensory overdrive---except that it really was. He was dying for a pick me up or at least the monthly money from his mom. She promises every month she’ll pay him but it has yet to come through. But, she does says she’ll pay for all the months she ‘s missed and he still has hope.

  
Well, at least he had hope until college ruined that for him. He still remembers his freshman year--dressed in pristine black jeans and a casual dress shirt. That year was one of the hardest, mostly because he hated to leave his Ma, his Dad and his little brat of a sister. He tried to not cry when his Ma told him she believed in him and made him promise to stay safe. He tried not to cry as his Dad patted him on the shoulder with a fractured stern look, then sniffled softly in his shoulder. Gosh, even his little brat of a sister, who he loved very much despite her being a menace, was sobbing and clinging on to his shirt. But, he finally broke down when he saw her face. College tore him away from her but she was smart enough to know it was a good decision for his future. 

 

So, he wiped away those fresh tears, said his goodbyes and made his way to his dorm. 

 

But, there were perks to college. He has the chance to share his dorm with Steve Rogers, the innocent not-so-innocent if you ignore the sunshine smile, art major with a heart of gold. That man has the exterior of a brick house but the interior of a throw pillow. He was emotional but he could the coldest person if you cross him. Bucky knows from experience. 

 

Bucky was awestruck when he first met the guy and saw his smile. He was like the cliche church boy who spends his time talking to his mom and working out. He towered over Bucky a bit but not to the point where he had to put strain on his neck in order to be face to face with him. He has honey blonde hair that was always neatly combed even though Bucky has never seen his style it. His eyes were the color of the ocean and they seldom changed, based on the color shirt he was wearing. And geez, the guy is  _ wickedly _ intelligent. It perplexes Bucky on why he would waste his intelligence on being an art major (Bucky shouldn't be judging, considering he's a Theater major) but Steve always said  _ passion is more important to me than intelligence. _ Bucky didn’t exactly believe that but he wasn’t going to argue with Steve.

 

Anyways, Bucky started his job at Starbucks a clean 4 months after his first day in college. Now he was in his sophomore year and kept the same position: a cashier. He worked from 6 p.m to 10 p.m every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The company was pretty understanding about Bucky’s position-being a college student and all. Ms. Wyman always prided herself on being a “loving and understanding creature,” He was pretty sure that’s because she’s a cancer moon.

 

But, today wasn’t an eventful day; it was just dragging on. Customers filtered in and out of the tiny, little shop usually with vicious silence or agitating chatter, Bucky usually liked watching all types of people ask for combinations of drinks he didn’t know exist here. It was refreshing to not see the same white dudebros being boisterous with their sexist jokes. Instead, he saw struggling musicians who often wore tight pants with loose shirts and a messy bun. Stush Wall Street affiliates with their pressed suits and manacle attitudes. Or, what he was seeing right now.

A man who was dressed way too formally for person his age; he wore a fitted grey suit that hugged onto his muscles in all the right way, his hair was neatly lined up and his shoes looked more expensive than Bucky’s whole wardrobe. But, he  _ had  _ to be around Bucky’s age. In fact, he praying on it.

 

The guy was strikingly handsome: high cheekbones, full lips and all.  He walked with confidence but he seemed to be in a rush which made his expression panicked. But that didn’t really throw Bucky off guard, he just wondered what he had going on under that suit…..

 

“Hello? Are you listening?” He queried in an exasperated tone. Bucky blinked back into reality and tried to act cool.

 

“Geez, I’m sorry, dude. What was your order?”

 

The man sighed a little before repeating, “a caramel macchiato and a chonga bagel. Toasted with butter.” 

 

“Thanks, sir. Sorry for not paying attention earlier.” Bucky pulled out the two cups from his side and rush the order as much as the man was rushing earlier. He turned on the coffee machine and cursed himself quietly for getting caught up in his head. He  _ did  _ want Cute Guy to come again.

 

“Oh, oops. I forgot to ask--what’s your name?” Bucky pulled out his trustee flower, which he was a little embarrassed about at the moment, and got ready to write down his possible future husband  customer’s name.

 

“Oh, right. It’s T’challa.” Bucky gasped loud enough to have the current people harboring free wifi in the shop to glare at him. It didn't do any good to his current state.

 

It’s  _ T’challa.  _

 

The motherfucking son of the billionaire  _ and  _ king T’chaka who’s responsible for all the withstanding building’s all over the world. 

 

T’chaka basically runs the world with the number of inventions he’s made. He’s helped make buildings like the Freedom Towers,  Sabiha Gökçen International Airport terminal and more that he can’t count on his fingers. Bucky has heard about T’chaka all his life, considering his dad never stopped talking about him. Mr. George Barnes was an architect and he aspired to make buildings as complicated as the ones in Wakanda.

 

 But, he and his family didn’t live in America (smart choice, Bucky thinks) but rather in Wakanda, one of the  most advanced countries in the world.  And, well, T’Chaka’s the king and the standard inventor. 

 

That makes T’challa a prince.

 

Bucky was taking a prince’s order right now. He could die happy.

 

“Are you alright….James?” T’challa asked, furrowing his brow at Bucky’s immobility.

 

“Erm, yes. Sorry...again. Here’s your order. That’ll be $12.52.” Bucky watched as T’challa pulled out a row of 20s--the most money Bucky has seen all at once--from his pocket and hand Bucky one.

 

“Keep the change. Thanks.” With that, T’challa picked up his order and basically ran out of the shop.

 

Gosh, Bucky’s only meet with the prince of Wakanda and he acted like an idiot. Maybe the prince gets that a lot and he’ll brush it off? Maybe he’ll come back again? Bucky’s surely hoping on it.

  
  


Bucky's shift ends a half hour after briefly meeting the prince. He’s last one in the shop besides Janie, the cordial coffee maker whom Bucky has befriended from “the accident” on his first day. (He vows to never speak of “the accident” in fear that he’ll get fired,) She currently was wiping down the excess liquid that dripped from the machine nozzles. She looked so exhausted; Bucky wanted to tell her he’d take care of it but she’d tell him she can handle it.

 

“Alright, I’m done. Let’s go, Bucky.” He nods and slides off the counter  then waits for Janie to reach him at the door. 

 

He says his goodbye to her before locking up and heading to his car.

  
He was practically itching to get home and tell Steve about meeting T’challa.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated :)


End file.
